Decisions, decisions: Lester (7-7, 3.33 ERA) has earned a decision in all of his starts.

Quality stuff: Lester allowed the two runs (one earned) on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four. He threw 109 pitches.

Lester began as if he would throw a shutout in 90 pitches. He dominated the first time through the lineup. The Indians delivered better at-bats against him as the game unfolded, but they didn't do nearly enough damage.

The Indians' ineffectiveness against lefty starters, particularly on the road, continues. They simply don't have enough good right-handed hitters, switch or natural. Their lefty batters, as a collective, have taken better swings against lefties than their righties.

Missing bats: Lester presumably caught a break by not facing Lonnie Chisenhall and David Murphy. Tribe manager Terry Francona gave both the day off.

Chisenhall and Murphy are lefties. Chisenhall never has faced Lester; Murphy was 3-for-14 against him. Regardless, Chisenhall is perhaps the hottest hitter in the majors, riding a nine-game hitting streak and batting .393 overall, and Murphy is at .284. Murphy ranks second on the Indians with 37 RBI and Chisenhall is third with 32.

Assuming Chisenhall plays third, those who replaced him and Murphy were Mike Aviles (third base) and Ryan Raburn (right field). Aviles and Raburn entered with a combined 35 RBI. Aviles was 1-for-3 with a single and and Raburn 1-for-4 with a single.

Not-so-Swishalicious: Nick Swisher, activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He was the designated hitter and batted seventh.

Swisher is hitting .206 and slugging .312.

Difference makers: The game turned on three at-bats.

No. 1: David Ortiz vs. Josh Tomlin, fifth inning.

The Red Sox entered the bottom of the fifth with a 1-0 lead. Jackie Bradley Jr. led off with a single and advanced to second on Tomlin's errant pickoff attempt. Brock Holt's grounder pushed Bradley to third. Tomlin got former A.L. MVP Dustin Pedroia to chop to third, where Aviles held Bradley and threw to first for the second out. Pedroia complained that the ball was foul, forcing manager John Farrell to check briefly with the umpires.

As Ortiz prepared to step in, SportsTime Ohio analyst Rick Manning said: "You throw out Pedroia, now you can walk this guy (Ortiz) -- or at least pitch around him. Don't let him go out there and beat you.''

The Indians decided not to walk Ortiz, at least at the beginning of the at-bat. Tomlin's first pitch was an 89-mph fastball on the inner half that Ortiz drilled foul.

STO play-by-play man Matt Underwood said: "He's hitting 40 points below his career average, but, if you make a mistake, he can hurt you. He's still the one guy in this lineup you have to be very careful with.''

Manning: "I wouldn't pitch to him.''

Catcher Yan Gomes set up outside. Tomlin threw another 89-mph fastball, but it stayed over the middle of the plate at the knees. Ortiz crushed it over the center-field wall for his 15th homer.

Manning: "I don't understand it.''

Underwood: "Just got done saying: He's the one guy in this lineup who can hurt you. And he just did. A two-out, two-run homer makes it 3-0 Boston.''

Manning: "That made no sense to me.''

In his postgame meeting with reporters, Francona said he had not thought of walking Ortiz, a slugger with a knack for clutch extra-base hits who used to be on his side. Francona said that Callaway wanted to make sure Tomlin and Gomes pitched smartly to Ortiz, the objective being to get him out (as opposed to pitching around him).

Francona, a Hall of Fame-caliber manager, no doubt had factored in Ortiz's track record against Tomlin. Ortiz entered Thursday at 0-for-8 and was 0-for-2 in the game. Ortiz had grounded sharply to short to end the first inning and lined to center to end the third.

Francona also knew that the player batting behind Ortiz, Mike Napoli, is dangerous. Tomlin is prone to long fly balls, and Napoli potentially could turn a walk to Ortiz into a three-run homer.

Napoli followed Ortiz's blast with line-drive single off the Green Monster for a single. Daniel Nava singled, but the Indians trapped Napoli between second and third for the third out.

Francona used Napoli's hit to help explain his decision not to order Ortiz walked. And Tomlin blamed himself, saying he didn't execute the pitch. (It seemed unwise, regardless of outcome, that Tomlin and Gomes would tempt fate with back-to-back fastballs anywhere close to the zone.)

Still....

Walking Ortiz in that situation was as close to automatic as its gets. It would have been different if a filthy lefty along the lines of Randy Johnson or Chris Sale were pitching. Tomlin is a finesse righty who, for all his grit and competitiveness, does not possess a loaded repertoire or resume. Yes, Ortiz was 0-for-10 against Tomlin, but Ortiz had swung the bat well against his fastballs all night. Yes, Napoli is dangerous -- but he's no Ortiz.

No. 2: Bradley vs. Nick Hagadone, sixth inning.

The Indians had pulled within 3-2 in the top of the sixth on a two-run single by Jason Kipnis. Tomlin retired the first two in the bottom of the inning before giving up a triple to Jonathan Herrera. Hagadone relieved to set up a left-on-left matchup against No. 9 batter Bradley.

Hagadone threw a curveball high for a ball, then missed badly with three fastballs.

Hagadone needed to make the No. 9 batter earn his way on base, especially a No. 9 batter who entered Thursday with a .201 average. A walk, no matter how many pitches used, can't happen.

No. 3: Holt vs. Hagadone, sixth inning.

Given how Boston's lineup was set up, Hagadone immediately had a shot at redemption against the lefty leadoff man. Hagadone knew this would be his final batter because righty Pedroia was next.

Hagadone threw a fastball low and away for a ball. Gomes visited the mound. Holt took a fastball for a strike and fouled a fastball away. As Hagadone threw a curve low and away for a ball, Bradley stole second. (Bradley had stolen off Hagadone, who made it far too easy for a runner to get into scoring position.)

Hagadone threw a fastball low to run the count full. Holt fouled a fastball down the middle and fouled a fastball up.

Manning on Hagadone: "He turns into a one-pitch pitcher because he's not throwing his breaking ball for a strike. If he can throw a 3-2 hook right here, throw it for a strike, I think he has him. But I don't see them calling it.''

Hagadone threw a fastball on the outside corner and Holt drove it deep to left. Michael Brantley nearly caught the ball, which landed at the base of the Green Monster. Brantley is so good defensively that onlookers expect him to make these types of plays. Regardless, this one is all on Hagadone.

The two-run double gave Boston a 5-2 lead.

As Manning said, Hagadone's inability to threaten with the curve cost him and his club. Holt measured the heaters until he got one he could drive.

Rough going: Tomlin allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three.

Tomlin threw plenty of strikes (73 of 107) but his stuff wasn't crisp. He bobbed and weaved most of the night. The Red Sox swung and missed just seven times. If they hadn't hit into tough luck, Tomlin's start would have been a lot shorter, his line a lot worse.

Gift run: The first run off Tomlin was unearned, set up when Tribe shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera threw away a routine grounder by Napoli to open the second.

Kick save: Tomlin helped himself in the fourth. When Napoli sent a grounder up the middle, Tomlin used his left shoe to knock it down and retire him.

Setting the tone: Lester needed eight pitches to retire the Indians in order in the first. All eight were strikes.

Michael Bourn took a strike, then swung and missed at two off-speed pitches that were out of the zone. Cabrera fouled before popping a fastball over the plate to first. Brantley took two pitches for strikes, then swung through a fastball on the outer half at the knees.

Finally: Kipnis extended his hitting streak to 10 games and finished 2-for-4. ... A Red Sox ball girl made a terrific catch of Brantley's liner foul in the eighth.

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